Sunday, June 26, 2016

Not doing so well on his Blog lark. I’m not a great facebook poster
either, and I don’t do twitter so I’d better get back into this blog.

So plenty to report in the world of foilborne adventures. The AC
continues to keep me incredibly busy. We upgraded our original AC45 foiler with
a new incarnation, and then followed that with a sistership. The “Turbos” are
quite a weapon of a boat and would beat an AC72 round a course now. Firmly set
up in Bermuda now, and it is quite a foiling boat playground!

The main project at the moment is my new commuter boat. Living near the
water now, and with our base being in the middle of the Great Sound, a commute
to work via water seemed like a good idea. I’ve done it a few times now by
kayak which is nice, but it was time to get a powerboat. Chunky plastic boats
with big engines was the trend, and not really my thing, but then I remembered a
Paul Bieker designed kit I’d seen a few years ago. Efficient hull, wooden
construction, small outboard that is good on fuel. So with a strange bug to go
straight into another build project after finishing my kayak, I ordered a kit.
I did all the flat panel and prep work in Alameda, and then I’ve been finishing
it off in Bermuda. It looks like a boat now, and is into the final stages of
sanding and painting.

In Moth world I bought a new boat for the Melbourne Worlds, but I was
far too busy in Alameda so didn’t attend. I’ve only recently found time to even
rig the boat, and it will go in the water soon. I think the Bermuda regatta in
December will be the focus. Quite a few little upgrades and mods planned…

My foiling A cat has been good fun, but sadly not everything could fit
in the container over here. I did a full foiling conversion on an old Flyer 2,
taking it out of class by sticking some extra tips to the daggerboards and
making it into a foiler. It was fun to learn a new flying boat, and I’d like to
do more in the class. Nice to see many of the things I’ve had in my sketch book
for a while appear on some of the new boats this year.

I’ve got another foiling cat project I’ve had sitting in the background
for a while now. I drew it up back in 2010 before this whole foiling cat thing
really kicked off. I think the concept has stood the test of time though and I
haven’t changed anything from those original drawings. I just need to find the
time to finish it. It is based on an A cat platform, but will be supercharged
and for two people. Full blog post on that coming soon, but here is a teaser:

A project at the end of last year was a place to store all my
watercraft. I bought a 20ft container, fitted shelves and a workbench, and now
have my own mini workshop. With a solar panel on the roof, I’m totally off the
grid, and self-sufficient.

For the trip to Bermuda I had a Moth, Moth wing, kayak, A class, and
all the panels for the PT Skiff. (Oh and some furniture thrown in as well.)

Not sure when I’ll post again, but I miss the days of Moth blogging.
I’m thinking Instagram may be my platform of choice. I’m more of a photos
person.